DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings will board a plane bound for Tampa, Fla. Tuesday, with a Game 7 matchup against the Lightning set for Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Detroit).
The Wings failed to clinch the Eastern Conference series Monday, falling 5-2 at The Joe, although Tomas Tatar did everything he could to keep that from happening.
Tatar scored both of the Wings' goals -- his second and third of the series -- to keep Detroit alive in the Game 6 loss.
Tatar put the Wings on the scoreboard midway through the second period, cutting the team's deficit to two goals. Darren Helm made an acrobatic play, kicking the puck from behind Tampa Bay's goal to Niklas Kronwall, who found Tatar for the score.
"That set us up for that big goal for us to get it back to 3-1," said Gustav Nyquist. "Then Tats scored again, great effort off the face-off to get us within one."
The Lightning carried their 3-1 lead into the third, but not for long. Tatar scored his second goal of the game within the first two minutes of the final period, slipping the puck under Ben Bishop's right outstretched leg off a face-off.
"As soon as that goal went in I felt it was bouncing on him, so we just tried to shoot it," Tatar said. "We just couldn't get any rebound."
Tatar's second goal pulled the Wings within one, but it wasn't enough to propel them past the Lightning.
"I felt we will catch them," Tatar said. "We felt real confident when we scored 3-2. We were on the horse, we were going, we had a few chances but puck just didn't go in."
Alex Killorn gave Tampa Bay a two-goal lead with five minutes remaining in the game, and Cedric Paquette sealed the victory with an empty net goal with less than one minute to play.
The Wings will return to Tampa for Game 7, but their confidence hasn't been shaken.
Two of Detroit's three victories in this series have come at Amalie Arena, and both teams have yet to win two games in a row, which bodes well for the Wings.
"I guess that sounds good to us," Nyquist said.
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